DIY Beauty: 5 ways to use green tea on your face

Going by the comments and the activity on Viva Woman Facebook page on my post about 5 ways to drink your green tea last week, I’m probably not too far off saying that green tea is a favorite with many of you. That’s no surprise considering that green tea is such a wonderful and versatile ingredient. I’ve shared various DIY beauty recipes using green tea in the past and today, I’ll share them all once again, along with one new one.

Benefits of using green tea topically
Green tea by the way, has rich sources of antioxidant benefits and when applied topically, provides notable benefits for the skin such as anti-aging as well as skin cell rejuvenation. A study performed in 2003 by Dr. Stephen Hsu of the Medical College of Georgia Department of Oral Biology showed that green tea was able to rejuvenate old skin cells that were at the end of their life cycle. Green tea is also widely known to provide some form of sun damage protection by blocking UV rays and this is why it is used in some sunscreen formulations. So liking the benefits you’ve read about green tea? Then give these 5 DIY recipes a try!

1. Green tea sheet mask
If you like using sheet masks, this one is right up your alley! Here, I’ve got some compressed sheet masks from Muji and all I need is to soak one in a green tea mix. The green tea mix is really just green tea powder dissolved in distilled/mineral water. And all I did was to lay the soaked green tea sheet mask on my cleansed face for around 10 minutes. After that, pat in all the green tea left on my skin and then moisturize as per normal. Be prepared to smell like green tea for awhile!

2. Green tea facial toner & spritz
You can make a green tea facial toner and spritz by again, mixing some green tea powder with distilled water. It’s best to make this fresh on a daily basis but if you add one or two drops of essential oil with antimicrobial properties, you can keep it for a few days by storing it in the fridge. Because green tea provides some amount of sun protection, this is great to be used in the day under your sunscreen.

3. Green tea hydrating mask
Here’s one I mentioned last week that you can actually eat. So you can make a bit more and use it for your face! Yogurt is great for soothing, softening and hydrating the skin. You can add manuka honey to this mask too or add some oat flour to the mixture to clean out your pores.

4. Green tea wash off mask
If you don’t want to add anything or use a sheet mask, this one is the easiest! Just one teaspoon of the green tea powder and half a teaspoon of water is all you need for this facial mask. Make a smooth watery paste and you can use this as a mask over your cleansed face for about 10 mins. After that, rinse your face with warm water and moisturize as per normal.

5. Green tea rinse
Finally, I blogged about this recipe being used by Korean actress Kim Nam Joo to keep her pores clean and her skin looking clear and blemish free. What you need is to make green tea and chill it by keeping it in the fridge. Before using the green tea, wash your face clean and steam or drape a hot face towel over your face to open up the pores. Finally, use the cold green tea to rinse your face again. You can make the green tea with the green tea bags but if youâ€™re using powdered green tea, then the directions is to put 2 cups of water for every 1 teaspoon of green tea powder.

Amount of green tea to use
In terms of the quantity of green tea powder to use, you really have to figure it along the way. For most of these recipes, I used about one teaspoon but some, I use more. And if there is water in the recipe, you should be adding the water slowly to get the desired consistency. Obviously, a mask should be of a thicker consistency than a toner. The bottom line is to experiment and have fun doing so! (^o^)

If you gals find it a hassle to prepare the mask on our own, the easiest and laziest way is just to apply manuka honey (straight from the bottle) on the face. Honey has antioxidant & antibacterial properties, and it helps make our face more supple too. 🙂

No one ever told me that and I pick up this habit from an article which I cant remember where I read it from. I apply manuka honey on my face once every 2 days or at least 3 times a day. Maybe, the docs are referring to normal honey.

Wow, I like the idea with the green tea sheet mask!
But I have never seen any green tea powder around my place… can you just make “normal” green tea and let the sheets soak in? And where can I buy the compressed sheets for the mask?

If you use normal green tea with the sheet mask, you’ll need to use very little hot water to steep so that the mix is concentrated. The compressed sheet masks are from Muji. Might have seen them at Sasa…

I am looking for powdered Green Tea. can’t find it in Oklahoma. Also it has to be absolutely natural. Need it for Tea Ceremony and ofcourse face mask and in the skin care line. I am also looking for MOA International Brand.
I belong to the Organization. But living in Edmond Oklahoma. Can you do a research for me please? Thanks. I like the info on the recipes on the Green Tea.

It has always bothered me and made me curious; can I use white tea instead of green tea? I know that it comes from the same tea leaf, but it’s the processing that’s different. Do you think the end result on my skin would be alike?

Hi! 🙂 a new reader here, I’ve raided several japanese shops and they don’t have the type of green tea powder you’ve there. Where and how much was your green tea?? I love the smell of green tea! But I’m not that willing to spend like $20 on a bottle of green tea…

I absolutely LOVE this blog, I”ve been making a facial toner out of Gyokuro Imperial Green Tea leaves and filtered water. I don’t keep it in the fridge, just my bathroom in a plastic ( eco friendly!) bottle…..would this still work?

Hello:D I love green tea and thanks for sharing this:D I can’t believe green tea can do such wonders on your face too.Can I just put the green tea mask without the facial sheet mask?since there’s none in my place:))) Can this mask also give me a porcelain skin?:))))) And what can I substitute for the compressed facial mask sheet?thamkyouu

You can dip cotton pads and squeeze them dry but still damp and leave it on. So you’ll need a few sheets (get those that allows you to tear into thinner sheets). Check out this tutorial here: http://www.vivawoman.net/2009/08/diy-lotion-mask-demo-by-chizu-saeki/. But don’t expect porcelain skin immediately…it’ll take time. Also consider your other skin care routine like cleansing and moisturizing.

Usually the sweetened version might include additives. But if you can fine one that is just matcha and sugar, I think it’s fine but you probably only want to use it as a mask cos you need to wash off. Leaving sugar on the face might attract unwanted insects…LOL.